Electric switch mechanism.



G. S. TIFFANY.

ELECTRIC SWITCH MECHANISM. I APPLICATION FILED 001x29, 1907.

1,008,392. Patente N0v.14,1911

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE STEELE TIFFANY, OF SUMMIT, NEW JERSEY, ASSII'LGNOB, BY MESNEASSIGFI- mmrrs, 'To BANKERS TRUST COMPANY, TRUSTEE, A conroaa'rron ornew roan.

ELECTRIC SWITCIE MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented NQV. 14, 1911.

Application filed October 28, 1907. Serial No. 399,427.

To all whom it mag concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE S. TIFFANY, a citizen of the United States,residin at Summit, county of Union, and State of cw Jersey, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric SwitchMechanism, fully described and represented. in the followingspecification and the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the same.

his invention relates to improvements in switch mechanisms for electriccircuits, and particularly to mechanisms desi ed for controlling,through a plurality of eys, a num ber of electrical circuits.=

As a full understanding of the improvements of the present invention canbest be had from a detailed description of an organization embodying thesame, such description will now be iven in connection with theaccompanying rawings, in which- F i re 1 is a front view of aswitch-board provlded with switch mechanism embodying the presentinvention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, partly in section. Fig. 3is a plan side view thereof, partly in section. Fig. 4 is a verticalsection of the same. Fig. 5 is a similar view with some of the parts ina different position so as to illustrate the operation of the switchmechanism inclosing circuits. Fig. 6 is asection on theline 6 of Fig. 2illustrating a detail. of construction which will be hereinafterreferredto; and Fig. 7 illustrates a modification which will behereinafter described.

Referring to said drawings, 1 represents a switch-board, to which issecured a metal face plate 2, in which (as shown in the other figuresof. the drawing) are mounted the several parts of the switch mechanismembodying the resent invention. this plate 2, y means of screws 3passing therethrough, 1s' a. pair of inwardly projecting arms orbrackets 4, connected atone end by rods 5, 6, and at the other or innerend by a plate 7 in which are mounted a plurality. of group ofsuperposed, spring contact plates, eac group comprising two independentsets, one consistin of four plates 8, 9, 10, 11, and the other of ourcontact plates 12, 13, 14, 15. The twosets of plates are insulated fromeach other and the plates of each set are also insulated from each otherand from the plate 7 by strips 16 of insulating material a ternatingwith said plates and interposed between them and the plate 7 and Securedto plates controlled by contact plates 10, 14, res

the head of the bolt 17 bywhich, and the metal clamping plates 18,-19,they are cured to said plate 7, and they are H189 insulated from saidbolt 17 by a tuba or insulatin material through which said holt passes.ach set of contact plates 5, 9, 10, 11 and 12, 13, 14, 15 controls twocircuits; for example, contact plates 8, 9 consti auto the terminals ofone circuit, contact plates 10, 11 the terminals of a second circuit,contact plates 12, 13 the terminals of a third circuit, and contactplates 14, 15 the terminals of a fourth circuit,- and these severalsprin gplates normally occupy the position in which the are illustratedin Fi 3, that is to ss. wit their free ends out 0 contact with can otherand their circuits therefore open. Thr closin of these circuits iscontrolled by a series 0 keys 21'pivota1ly mounted in openingsin theface plate 2, one such key being prov: dad for each -two setsof'contactplates 8, etc., and- 12, eth.

The pivotal connection between each of the keys 21 and plate 2 consistsof a ball 22 formed on the key intermediate its ends and closely fittingand substantiallyclosing a correspondingly shaped openin ii -plate 2-and a pin 23 passing through t e Saank the key and entering a groove 24in t 19 inner t insulating material for engaging thfhwer:

most plate of each set of contapts 8 ate, and 12, etc., and movin eachpair of into engagement wit each other to closethe contacts c1rcu1t ofwhich they are the'termirals. In

the position in which the key is shown in Fig. 3, which is its normalposition, the several plates of the two sets of contact that key are outof one gagement witheac other and their circuits therefore open. Whenthe handle 01? the key is depressed however,the inner enc thereof will,throug "its block 25 engaging the ends of the plates 11, 15 raise thoseplates to the position shown in Fig. 5, and, 1n so raising them, willforce them into contact with the ively, tius closin the circuits of whicthese plates con statute the terminals. At the same time the plates 11,15 will, by reason of the i11terposition between them and the plates 11,13,"re-

spectively, of plugs 26 of insulating mate- -For the purpose ofretaining the several plates in their contacting position upon thedepression of the handle of the key 21 controlling them, there isprovided a wing 27' pivotally mounted in the arms land the upper edge ofwhich normally overlies the inner ends of the keys. 21,'as shown in Fig.

2, and when the outer'end of a key is depressed it is swung rearwardlythereb and then passes under the inner end 0 that key andthus locks thekey in such depressed position. The lower end of said wing 27 asconnected with it one end of a spring 28, the other end of. which issecured to plate 7 this spring normally tending to rock the winginwardly'toward the face plate, or, in other words, to the lockinposition in which it is shown in Fig. 5. s a result of thisconstruction, upon the dep'rfion of the outer end of any key 21, the erend thereof, engaging wing 27, will me the wing rearwardly and thusreleasing all of the reyiously depressed keys 21, which are tl ienrestored to their normal position shown in Fig. 3. Means are alsoprovided in the present case whereby should all the keys be depressedfor the purpose of closing all the circuits they may .be released whendesired, the means provided for this purpose consisting of a.supplemental push key 29 mounted in the plate 2 and in a projection 30from one of A the arms 4, the shank of this keybein'g provided with abutton 31 at its inner end for' engagement with a pin 32 projecting fromthe win 27. When key 29 ispushed 111- wardly, its button 31, engagingthe in 32 will rock the wing rearwardl and t ereby release all of thekeys 31 w 'ch are then returned to their normal position shown in Fig.3. Asshown .in Fi 7 two rows of keys 21 may have their wings 27connected.

by links '27 in such way that on the move-' ment rearwardly of the wingfor one row by the depression of a key therein or the supplemental key29, the wing of th will be correspondingly moved and the previouslyoperated keys in both rows thus released.

The: contact plates in the switch mechanism comprise in theirconstruction and assemblage certain features of novelty which will nowbe described.

.As shown in the plan View Fig. 2, each contact late consists of a striof metal provided with an approximate y semi-circular recess at one 0its edges conforming substa'ntiall to the bolt 17 and itsjnclosing tube20. It will be observed that in the the upper edge of the and to theplate 7.

e other row 9 plates constituting the two sets of each group ofcontacts, these semi-circular recesses in the edges of the plates faceeach other so that when such two sets of plates are, assembled together,the bolt 17 and its inclosing tube 20 are embraced thereby. It will alsobe observed on reference to Fig. 2 and also to Fig. 6 that the severalcontact plates are provided with teats or projections 33 which areformedtherein by any suitable punching device, "and-that the sheets ofinsulating material alternatin with these contact plates are providedwith corresponding recesses or countersunk portions 34. The result ofthis construction is may be readily and quickly superposed and otherwiseassembled in proper relation to each other, the "teats 33 entering thedepressions 34 and thus accurately centering or positioning the plateswith reference to each other. It will also be observed" that theclamping plate 19 is provided with teats 35 entering correspondinrecesses in the upper face of the plate and that in its upper face saidclamping plate 19 is provided with recesses 36 for the reception of theteats on the under side of the adjacent insulating sheet, formed thereinby the punching of its upper face to provide the recesses for thereception of the teats on the contact plate above-it. From this construction it results, not onl that the several contact plates are.accurate ypositionedwith advantage of this construction-is that itentirely v avoids the necessity for usin -or screws for the purpose ofcentering the bolts lplates withrelation to each other, only one olt(17) being necessary, and that only for the purposeo -clamping, by meansof the plates 18, 19, the several plates together A further feature ofthe invention consists in making the clamping plate 18 of springsheet-metal and giving it an inverted diskshape or set, as "s own inFig. 6 (where the bolt 17 is shown as. slightly loos ened),-so that,when bolt 17 is tightened, plate 18 will bear firmly at all pointsagainstthe uppermost contact plates and have no tendtact I What I clai mis':-.-

In a switch mechanism, the combination -ofa plurality of independentsets of contacts, a circuit closing key for each set, a

ency to bend upwardly and thus fail to 1,9 8,392; I Bf spring-pressedkey-locking wing common to ball-shaped parts substantially filling saidall the keys and normally restmg over the openings, substantially asdescribed. 5

ends thereof, whereby as a key is operated In testimony whereof, I havehereunto set said win is moved rearwardly and takes my hand, in thepresence of two sub scrib- 5 under an the operaed gey in thepoingWitnesses.

sition to w 'c, it is move an releases any i previously operated key,said vkeys being GEORGE L TIFFANY pivotally mounted in a plate orsupport Witnesses:

ving circular openings and said keys be- W. P. DELAUBBURE, Jr.,

10 ing provided intermedlat'e their ends with R. W. Arias-mono.

